Brilliant Lennert Van Eetvelt claims 2024 UAE Tour after stunning final stage collapse from UAE Team Emirates

After a stunning collapse by UAE Team Emirates and pre-stage GC leader, Jay Vine, Lennert Van Eetvelt has been crowned overall winner of the 2024 UAE Tour as the Belgian took victory on the final stage atop Jabel Hafeet.

Four men made into the breakaway, Mark Stewart (Team Corratec - Vini Fantini), best placed on the GC at 4:18 Emanuel Buchmann (BORA - hansgrohe) and Alpecin-Deceuninck duo, Jonas Rickaert and Silvan Dillier.

With their time gap peaking at around eight minutes, Buchmann was for a while, the provisional, overall race leader. That didn't last long though, and with the beginning of the final climb in sight, a peloton that was racing full gas due to the threat of echelons was only just over a minute behind. At 9.6km to go, with the peloton just 1:10 down, Buchmann made his move, attacking clear at the front of the race solo.

As Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team took to the front of the bunch in service of Ben O'Connor, damage was immediately done to the team of GC leader, Jay Vine. Surprisingly, Brandon McNulty was dropped very early. Then, with just over 7km still to go, Vine himself dropped off in a disaster of UAE Team Emirates.

With UAE Team Emirates having a disaster, the remaining GC contenders were sensing their chances and sadly for Buchmann, the repeated attacks spelt the end for the German's breakaway hopes. As the race crossed under the flamme rouge, Lotto Dstny's Lennart Van Eetvelt had flown the nest, leading solo into the final kilometre. Starting the day 26 seconds behind O'Connor the GC was up for grabs.

After the Belgian secured the stage win, the clock started ticking back with the calculations ever changing. Pello Bilbao led the chase group home with O'Connor in third. Once the timegaps and bonus seconds had been calculated, the overall victory was also Van Eetvelt's.

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